If you’re not one of those people who delight in waking up in the wee hours of the morning and going for a 4k run just to “get some fresh air”, you may require a bit more of a push and proper peer support to get those trainers on and get moving! Mamas, look no further than SMAC (Strength, Mobility and Conditioning), one of the most fun and original outdoor group training programmes in Hong Kong by Coastal Fitness.
Located at the Happy Valley infield, Coastal Fitness instructor Babs Mountain sets up TRX, kettle bells and bass-thumping speakers at 6:30am in preparation for the 10+ SMACers to arrive. Babs has been a National Hong Kong Field Hockey player for ten years and she joined the Coastal Fitness team three years ago after coaching children and personal training privately. Her sweet smile and coaching style is the perfect way to motivate anyone to keep on pushing through the workouts.
At SMAC, men and women alike come together in the early mornings, rain or shine for their hour of bodyweight exercises, sprints and kettle bell swings before heading to work or running errands for the day. It’s a great community of people ranging from young professionals to new mommies and seasoned SMACers and it’s still growing. It’s a great way to get fit and fab while having fun! What I love most about SMAC is that not only are the coaches really encouraging, so is the entire group. It was my first workout in six months and even though I was dead last in the running exercises, everyone cheered me on. Once I’d finally made it to the finish line, there were high fives and smiles all around.
I also dropped into the Coastal Fitness gym for an indoor SMAC on a Thursday evening. My class in the gym was just as tough as my outdoor class! Bars, dumbbells and hanging bars were available for strength exercises. For aerobics, we ran down the three stories then outside to the end of the block and back up the steps again to complete our workout of the day (or as people in the know call it, our WOD).
Needless to say, I was feeling the best kind of sore the next morning and signed up for ten more classes! What sets their group classes apart from others is that they create a close community by getting people to pair up and team up, adding an element of friendly competition each class. If you lose in a team event, you gain by doing a “punishment” exercise. It’s great for those who like a bit of competition to get the adrenaline pumping and get in shape, whether it’s toning the biceps (the hubby will love it too!), firming up the gluts or blasting off that post-pregnancy weight!
SMAC is run on the Happy Valley infield on Tuesday (6:45am), Thursday (6:45am) and Saturday (8am) mornings. Cost is $150 for a drop-in session; click here for package pricing info.
Coastal Fitness, 3/F, Blk C, Sea View Estate, 8 Watson Road, North Point, Hong Kong, 2512 2262, www.coastalfitnesshk.com